Lucid Marketing to Moms

Links for 2009-07-17 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-18T00:00:00-07:00

The Blogger PR Blackout - The good, the bad, and the completely puzzling

Links for 2009-07-15 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-16T00:00:00-07:00

Links for 2009-07-13 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-14T00:00:00-07:00

Links for 2009-07-12 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-13T00:00:00-07:00

Mom bloggers become powerful online force

Links for 2009-07-10 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-11T00:00:00-07:00

Social Media and Shopper Marketing Merge to Reach Moms

Links for 2009-07-09 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-10T00:00:00-07:00

Is your BlogHer 09 trip sponsored? Do you wish it were?

Links for 2009-07-08 [del.icio.us]

2009-07-09T00:00:00-07:00

People are Afraid of Twitter...until they try it

2009-07-08T13:28:00.002-04:00

Many of us, myself included, struggle with explaining to someone who has never seen Twitter, what exactly it is. I won't even try here. And as TIME magazine aptly states, “Twitter makes a terrible first impression.” The poor impression comes from the fact that it is difficult to understand.

All at the same time, it is a new type of one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many communication. Say what? It's different from email, instant messaging, and message boards, but has similarities. Yet, it is so simple. See what I mean?

This social media darling has become amazingly popular for it's ability to harness people's inherent instinct to connect with others. It offers news way to share, communicate, stay informed, discover, and more. Many people are in love with these new ways to relate, and for some it has become a sort of addiction. They dedicate a lot of time out of their day to spend on Twitter. And this leads to the other element of the bad first impression for non-users. It appears that if you Tweet, you are required to do it a LOT. There is a perceived obligation to very actively participate. “Sounds like a commitment, I got enough of those.” But the fact of the matter is that there are no rules about Twitter participation. It's quite easy to 'make it work' for you in whichever way feels appropriate.

When added up, a fear of the unknown and fear of commitment, result in many people just staying away.

I can't explain it. I think you will like it. It won't take much time. Try it, I did.

FTC Stirs-up the Blogosphere

2009-06-04T16:27:00.001-04:00

Of recent, there has been much debate over the FTC looking at the posts and reviews bloggers write about products & services. BusinessWeek kicked of this debate with their story, Blogola: The FTC Takes On Paid Posts Susan Getgood writes an excellent analysis of the FTC's intent in her post, The FTC is NOT gunning for mom bloggers

Lucid's perspective, value exchange, influence and disclosure between media properties and business have all been negotiated to varying degrees forever – but it was behind the scenes, often with the agency as the proxy. It is now a greater issue because it is being debated publicly and as Stephanie Smirnov aptly states on her recent post, ““Publisher” vs “editor” distinctions don’t apply…” with bloggers.

Our belief is that people (anybody) should benefit whenever they are approached by a businesses to help them achieve their objectives – whatever form that may take. Thus, we do feel bloggers should be compensated (money, free product, no expense trip, etc.) for their time and effort – and even for product reviews. We don’t believe that the compensation type makes a difference. Getting to keep a suite of appliances in exchange for reviews, is pretty (ahhhem) sweet –
which blogger Candace openly recognizes. And since she has fully disclosed her reward, her readers will maintain their trust. And as we all agree, full disclosure is the requirement.

MomsWhoBlog.com

2009-06-02T12:55:00.002-04:00

a news journal about mothers active in social media

Mothers actively involved in online social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) are an important community of women. They are affecting social change from a grassroots up approach. From them, we learn about motherhood’s many joys and challenges, some of which were rarely discussed openly before. To their credit, we are no longer fed a homogenized version of motherhood and life from the mass media or celebrity perspective. Instead we enjoy unfiltered, unapologetic and, above all, sincere experiences from a variety of women living in real time.

These women are also highly coveted by businesses because of their influence, but they are often misunderstood for the reasons that they blog and the connections that they create.

MomsWhoBlog.com strives to be your ultimate source of news and knowledge about mothers
active in social media. Please take a look and choose your preferred way to follow the stories.

Long Held Beliefs

2009-03-31T21:03:00.000-04:00

Successful and happy people tend to live their lives in a deliberate manner. They have goals and live according to a set principles they believe in. These principles are developed from the teachings by family members and mentors, and through personal observations, experiences and education.

Since we live in a complex society, goals and principles can be very helpful in decision-making and making sense of the world around us. Without goals and beliefs, it can be easy to drift through life and pulled or pushed by extraneous circumstances. But beliefs can also misguide us. Look at racism, extreme religious fanaticism, and other problems of the world where beliefs hurt other people.

Just like society, the business world (inherently a large part of society) is extremely complex as well. Successful and happy businesspeople tend to manage their businesses and careers in a deliberate manner too. Again, with goals and principles. This helps them make sense of their world, and go forward – sometimes misguided.

Andrea Learned offers a perspective in a recent marketing paper that many marketers are misguided in their beliefs about gender. In fact, she says that we should not be marketing to one's gender at all. To quote her, “too many marketers are taking the lazy way out and polarizing male and female consumers.”

Are many marketers' beliefs about men and women misguided? Read the Andrea's “Beware the Gender Trap: Marketing to the 21st Century Gender Neutral Consumer” if you want to challenge some of your beliefs.

Today's Digital Mom

2009-03-09T11:29:00.002-04:00

This week the Today Show is running a segment they are calling “Today's Digital Mom.” This first piece is sort of social networking and blogging 101, and how it is meaningful for a mother. Appearances by Laura Fortner of CafeMom.com and Heather Armstrong of Dooce.

Respect: A Success Indicator

2009-02-27T14:41:00.000-05:00

Watching people interact with each other can be entertaining and fascinating to observe. Given the numerous factors of role, relationship, situation and many other variables at play, they often lead to interesting and unexpected conversations. Some of my favorites are observing elderly married couples treating each with the utmost kindness and respect. Another, well mannered children talking where there are questions, answers, discovery and understanding. Truly warms my heart.

Conversely, for a long time now, I've been disappointed in the way most people talk AT (operative) people working in retail environments. All too often it seems that the customer could be talking to a kiosk, rather than another person. They have no respect for the person trying to serve them. The excuses for this behavior are plentiful, but I do not accept any of them. The most popular is blaming the level of customer service these days. Again, not accepting it. I've never worked in retail, so I personally can't describe the experience, but I imagine it to be tiring and demoralizing.

I can identify with, and have experience in, the way businesspeople interact with each other. Similar to the way retail people are treated, I've seen (as I'm sure you have as well) patience, disrespect, stubbornness, kindness, anger, etc. Name that emotion, and if you've spent any time in the business world, you've likely witnessed it. Respect of others I believe to be the most important trait in business as it is so fundamental. Without it, I don't believe effective collaboration and dialog are possible. Certainly, there are many jobs out there where this is not necessary, but how about marketing? Can you be a effective marketer today if you go about being disrespectful others? Can you anticipate customer needs if you fundamentally don't respect others? Can you communicate with them? Can you design a quality marketing experience without respect? Maybe in days of yesterday when marketing was a one-way medium, it was possible, but today it is much more like to a two-way dialog. Without inherent respect for others, you cannot be a successful marketing professional. When choosing marketing partners, it might be wise to go to lunch together before making a decision to work together, and observe how they treat the wait staff. You might just get a glimpse into the potential success of your future marketing programs.

Mom 2.0 Summit Redux

2009-02-26T14:45:00.002-05:00

I wasn't able to attend the recent Mom 2.0 Summit in Houston, but felt almost like I did since I followed the prolific number of tweets (twitter posts) during the two-day conference, and the subsequent blog posts. Even though now it's a thing of the past, you too can catch up with the event through these links.

Twitter tweets

Flickr photos

Blog posts

Your Social Media Strategy

2009-02-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

In today's business environment, many marketers (us included) are being asked to do more with less. One way is by attempting to harness the power of word-of-mouth and find social media glory. Social media works best for businesses when it is approached as a strategy with the objective to become involved in conversations relevant to your their business and industry. There are objectives, measurable goals, a budget, resources, a team of people with responsibilities, and a plan. A simple business 101 statement I know, but how does your social media effort stack up?

Moms' Lifestream Feed

2009-02-02T10:43:00.002-05:00

An important ingredient of successful online marketing today is being
where your customers are, instead of requiring them to come to you
(e.g. corp. web site). Thus less emphasis is on getting web
site visitors and more on communication, service and content
distribution. With that basic strategy in mind, lucid
attempts to satisfy marketers needs and interest in information 'all
things marketing to moms.' This email newsletter is one way.
As a subscriber, you receive a monthly summary of what's been happening
along with some of our thoughts. You can also subscribe to
our rss feed, daily email, twitter, facebook, or friendfeed
account. Whatever suits your preference for taking it in. We
hope you find value and benefit. To expand the service, we now offer
ability to follow what many moms are discussing online right now with
Moms' Lifestream Feed. The content comes from their twitter tweets, blog posts, flickr
updates, facebook feeds, and others. It's a great way to get
your 'feet on the street' of social media and motherhood, the same way
we do. Subscribe to this RSS feed. (If you don't yet have an RSS
reader, try Google Reader)

Fewer Predictions

2009-01-29T10:39:00.000-05:00

Over the last month and first month of a year, never have I seen fewer published predictions for the year ahead. Is it that people have recognized that they hold little value? Are usually wrong? It's impossible to predict? Or is it with the current economic conditions, we are more interested today in taking control of our own futures, rather than predicting someone else's? I like that better. If we each grab hold and take control, tides will rise.

Top Marketing to Moms Books

2008-12-22T09:29:00.013-05:00

To become more effective in marketing and connecting with moms, previously we listed the top blogs, and now offer the top books on marketing to moms.

Much thanks for the suggestions from Andrea Learned (non-garden variety contributions), Yvonne DiVita, Barbara Jones, Ann Handley, Michele Miller & Tami Anderson.

Addicts Just Can't Say No to Promotions

2008-12-18T09:24:00.005-05:00

Marketing Promotions Ideal for Moms on Social Networks

Mothers addicted to online social networks rate the marketing of “Special Promotions” much more positively than moms who are not on social networks. They are more than twice (123%) as likely to give marketing promotions a positive rating. This is likely because, at times, it gives them something to share with their online network of friends.

It is an important insight for marketers to understand. Fifty-percent of the most active and important (when it comes to spreading word of mouth) mothers on social networks actually love or welcome promotions. Find these moms and communicate a relevant promotional message, and the likelihood for success increases dramatically.

Moms who indicate that they are 'addicted' to online social networks are also more likely to:
1.) Go online for amusement purposes
2.) Publish their own blog
3.) Share their comments on blogs
There is a clear and strong connection for moms between participation on blogs and online social networks.

Survey data was gathered from 457 U.S. women with children of various ages randomly recruited on the internet between August 12 and September 12, 2008. As an incentive, $5 for every 10 people who completed the survey was donated by lucid marketing to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The free report, "Social Media & Moms, ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS Edition" can be downloaded at www.lucidmarketing.com

Motrin, Thank the Mommy Bloggers

2008-12-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

It has been interesting to watch the debate and analysis of the Motrin Mommy Blogger event. I was lucky enough to watch from it's formative stages and develop a simple opinion that I have not seen voiced. Whether Motrin deserved the criticism or not, is not the point. Motrin should be thanking the mom bloggers. Yes, 'thank you or paying attention and providing your feedback'.

Motrin had a well-intended concept, but execution was poor and understandably can be found offensive by mothers. Mom-bloggers told them so in no uncertain terms. The difference here, from what has happened to offensive marketing messages in the past, is that the event was public, was collaborated upon, and spread rapidly. Motrin was embarrassed and retreated rapidly.

Back to my point about 'thanking' the mom-bloggers. Motrin responded by pulling the ads and canceling several planned media expenditures which could have potentially offended hundreds of thousands of more mothers! This could have been much worse and in a world without twitter and blogs, they would have never known. A large amount of budget and brand value was saved.

Now Motrin is part of the social media conversation. They weren't before, and now have the opportunity for a do-over. I'll bet it goes much better next time. Surely, they have learned a great deal, as we all have. Thank you mom-bloggers.

Cafemom Serving-up an Addictive Brew

2008-11-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Strong Affinity for the Network

There are more similarities between mothers on MySpace, Facebook, and Cafemom, than there are differences. They go online to do many of the same things and most feel that their profile is an extension of who they are.

But there appears to be one big difference, CafeMom moms have a much stronger affinity for their network, than the others. It seems that they greatly value the connections, support and shared experiences with the other moms they meet there. Kevin Burke, founder of lucid marketing says, “The strong affinity for Cafemom is likely due to the strength of the connections made with other moms they meet there, and not necessarily the features of, or the Cafemom brand itself. They've done a great job of building a community of moms to find other like-minded moms.”

The overall sentiment on the major social networks can be summed up by this mom, “[On CafeMom], I can talk to hundreds of other women, at any moment, day or night. We all have something in common...motherhood. Facebook is an awesome way to stay connected to friends and relatives near and far. LOVE IT!”

Findings based on survey data gathered from 457 U.S. women with children of various ages randomly recruited on the internet between August 12 and September 12, 2008. As an incentive, $5 for every 10 people who completed the survey was donated by lucid marketing to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

A free report, "Social Media & Moms, ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS Edition" can be downloaded at www.lucidmarketing.com

Email Marketing in Decline and the Opportunity

2008-10-31T10:26:00.001-04:00

The art of email marketing seems to be in decline. I've seen fewer creative email campaigns and less compelling reasons for someone to hand over their email address. Seems like most web sites are still offering just their newsletter and special promotions, as reasons to subscribe. Not all that exciting when the internet offers so many choices.

Businesses see the benefits of being able to communicate directly and inexpensively with consumers, but lacking a strategy to do so seems to be a consistent theme. Target, a retailer many moms rate very highly, makes the offer, “Sign up to receive special offers and promotions from Target.” To me, that seems more like an offer that Walmart would make. Target known for their style and design quality, all at affordable prices, should be making a play that is creative and more closely in line with their brand.

The email marketing decline is coupled with the fact that spam filters have improved so much over the past two years that getting only the messages one wants is much better. My point being, if a marketer has a strong email value proposition, today there is a higher likelihood of having their message read and acted on, because there is less consumer inbox clutter.

Now for the kicker. Moms are more receptive to email marketing when compared to all other online marketing tactics, and they are checking personal email throughout their day!

And mom bloggers, the influencers driving conversations and trends online, are checking their email all day long and more often relative to other moms.

The lesson here is obvious; opportunities exist for marketers to make strong connections with moms through email marketing, but fresh and creative approaches are required.

Bloggers Rule the Online World of Mothers

2008-10-23T10:47:00.000-04:00

Marketers Should Pay Attention

Mom bloggers are more active online, particularly with social networking, than the rest of their U.S. mothering peers. They are 71% more likely to indicate being addicted to a social network when compared to moms who know nothing about blogs.

The lead reason for them going online is to socialize with others, while for moms who pay no attention to blogs, it is to find information. Mom bloggers also pay more attention to what their friends say online about something than other moms do.

The attention that marketers are giving to online word of mouth and the importance of connecting with mom bloggers as influencers appears justified.

Mom bloggers are also more receptive to marketing communication, than other moms. Further enforcing the reasons for marketers to pay them attention. Not surprisingly, all moms rank banners as the least effective marketing method for engaging them. But, bloggers are the group most accepting of them, likely do to the fact that many earn money from these marketing tactics.

An opportunity exists for marketers to focus more effort in email marketing. Moms are more receptive to it when compared to other online marketing tactics, and they are checking personal email throughout their day.

Survey data was gathered from 457 U.S. women with children of various ages randomly recruited on the internet between August 12 and September 12, 2008. As an incentive, $5 for every 10 people who completed the survey was donated by lucid marketing to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The report, "Social Media & Moms, BLOGGER Edition" can be downloaded for free at www.lucidmarketing.com

Top 15 Blogs on Marketing to Moms

2008-10-01T14:28:00.000-04:00

As the U.S. economy continues to falter, businesses look for ways to do more with less. Many recognize that women are their core customers and the ones who drive positive word of mouth about their brand. Connecting with women has never been more important. The list of blogs included here preach and teach, how to grow your business through marketing to women. Subscribe to those feeds to quickly become an expert and growth leader in your company.

Mom Marketing News, However You Like It

2008-09-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

With summer behind us, it's the kickoff of a new business season. I am excited, and with it constantly on the lookout for tools that make me more effective. Here are a few tools from lucid to make your job easier by keeping you informed on Mom Marketing stories and information:

RSS Feed
http://feeds.feedburner.com/LucidMarketingtoMoms

Daily Digest Email
http://www.lucidmarketing.com/keepintouch.php

Custom Search Engine
http://www.lucidmarketing.com

Library
http://www.lucidmarketing.com/library.php

Motherhood Brand Tags

2008-09-10T08:33:00.000-04:00

Wondering what brand names evoke thoughts and images of motherhood?

The answers appear to be: Tupperware, Singer, Olay, Oprah, Band-Aid, Jif

See the other brands that come to mind for:

Mom

Mother

BlogHer '08 – Part II, MARKETING

2008-09-02T09:57:00.000-04:00

BlogHer '08 in San Fran seems so long ago now, but it is still worth talking about. Last month I offered my impressions of the event as a powerful and united community of women. Here, I'd like to share my opinions of the event with my marketing hat on.

Several of the sponsoring and exhibiting brands didn't understand the environment they were entering. No need to name names. It was clear that they hadn't put the necessary thought into creating a great experience and making a positive impression on a group of 1,000+ influential women. So from them, an attendee experienced little more than an advertisement for their product or service. Whoohoo...blah.

Here are the ones that got my attention and got a lot out of the event.

HP – They surprised me, but not completely because Ann Finnie, Worldwide PR Manager for HP's consumer desktops and Voodoo Business Unit, introduced herself on Twitter prior to the event. She almost instantly established connections with hundreds of attendees, including myself. I showed up at the HP booth, “Hi Ann.” “Hi Kevin, glad we connected on Twitter and now in person.” Then HP went onto do something really cool. They recognized that attendees, as well as spending time face to face, were also blogging, twittering, and uploading photos. HP jumped right in and started using online social media (tools previously mentioned) to make announcements, give products away, and get people to come by their booth. They created a great experiences by leveraging both proximity and online connections they had with attendees. They now how 408 new twitter followers, 41% of the attendees - wow. There TouchSmart product is pretty cool too.
Nintendo – The Wii Fit is just so darn innovative that allowing people just to walk up and try it is a natural. The devil is always in the details, and clearly the Nintendo team grasped this as well. Even as cool as it is, they didn't have a booth, but a dedicated area of floor space that was well-trafficked but disruptive to the conference. They also had a well-trained and inviting team. My only complaint is that the Wii Fit pegged my 39-year old body with the the fitness level of a 50-year old. Ouch.
Sesame Street – Home run here. They gave parents a unique opportunity to be filmed on the Sesame Street set talking with Grover for a minute or more. Grover gives a little 'shout-out' to my kids and I get to bring home a custom DVD recording of it all. WOW. Parents were going crazy over this. And when I got home, my kids went even more nuts! I wasn't the only one as indicated by YouTube videos. View my meeting with Grover. Great job of viral marketing by creating a unique and personal experience, and allowing people to share it with their friends.

As far as the relationship that exists between female bloggers and brands, it can best be described as inefficient. There must be better ways for bloggers and brands to work together, and I for one, plan to help.

A lasting business question that I have is how will the newly established relationship between BlogHer and NBC's iVillage play out? It combines one entity that is very raw, real, and with many niches, with another that is highly packaged with a mass appeal. Interesting bed-fellows, but likely will be fun to watch.

Making the Holiday Worth More than just Tax-Free

2008-08-14T12:49:00.003-04:00

The purpose of the tax-free holiday is to stimulate sales and lessen the financial impact on consumers. For some states, it comes just in time for back-to-school shopping. Consumers, especially moms, are very receptive to messages during this time as they look for the best deals on items their household needs and/or desires.

As I prepare to potentially take advantage of Massachusetts' tax-free holiday this weekend, I noticed that many of the big name retailers are highlighting similar low prices on back-to-school supplies. After looking at three of these offers, I realized there is no point of differentiation between them. So, how can retailers differentiate themselves from the rest? Some retailers are finding ways by offering:

Additional discounts on specific items/brands
To take early orders
Additional lines dedicated to layaway purchases

In differentiating themselves, retailers are maximizing their sales potential. For some retailers, in states that have already had a tax-free holiday, approaches like the ones above have proven to be successful.

Below are a few articles on how retailers prepare for the tax-free holiday, and the success others have found.

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080814/BIZ/808140310

http://www.news-record.com/content/2008/07/29/article/retailers_prepare_for_tax_free_weekend

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20080804/NEWS/808040353/1042/NEWS/Retailers_seeing_green_after_tax_holiday

We Listen To Moms

2008-08-12T10:56:00.001-04:00

Lucid is conducting another survey, and we'd like to request moms' participation. This anonymous survey is about helping companies better understand moms' needs and preferences. By taking 5 minutes to answer 18 questions you will be giving us key insight into what you do online. Also, your participation will help real families in serous need. We will be donating $5 for every 10 people who complete this survey to St Jude Children's Research Hospital. It's a great way for you to help out a wonderful charity. We know how valuable your time is and sincerely thank you for your help. To participate in the survey, go here: www.WeListenToMoms.com.

I Spy....Babies & Pregnant Women Everywhere

2008-08-12T09:17:00.001-04:00

It looks like we may have a new baby boom in this country. According to The National Center for Health Statistics, "Early numbers report 4,315,000 births in 2007, the highest since 1957." You can read more about that here. Having one of these 2007 babies in my own home, I started to notice women sporting bumps of their own on every corner. Now that my son is eight months old, I see the strollers and baby carriers everywhere. But clearly, it's not just my own focused attention. For the first time in over forty years, we're experiencing a baby boom.

Marketers should be paying close attention to this boom, because as we know, moms carry a lot of purchasing power, and these new moms are not our parent’s Baby Boomer generation. This new generation goes by many names. These moms are late Gen Xers, Yers and Millennial Moms. They are the V (virtual) Generation. But moving past the labels, these new moms shop online, can’t survive without their cell phones, and personalize their social network profile with oodles of baby pictures. They are savvy consumers, and know when they’re being marketed to. They have a powerful voice, and use the ever-growing mix of new technology out there to express their opinion. This young generation is not afraid to speak up about what they think—not at work, not at home, and especially not when it comes to their new babies. And now, these women are buying more products than they ever thought they would need with less time and sleep.

So how do brands market to this new wave of mommies out there? A lot of brands are moving toward the philosophy of brand transparency, and having an open and honest dialog with their consumers. They are incorporating Web 2.0+ technologies such as social networks, online widgets and texting campaigns to better engage this segment. In addition to these new mommy behaviors, new moms are still looking for relevancy and convenience. Their lives are crazier than ever, so they “demand” a smooth user experience to help them accomplish everything they have on their plates. It will be interesting to watch how this new generation of moms shapes the brand experience. Marketers will have to move quickly to keep pace with their evolving lifestyles and family needs.

drawings of moms today

2008-08-11T16:40:00.000-04:00

As readers of lucid marketing's writings know, the way in which marketers often apply segmentation labels is a pet peeve of mine. I believe what happens when marketers toss around and focus on segmentation labels, they get lazy on the real issues and how to connect with their audience. This is particularly true when these labels are applied to mothers. Paying attention to behaviors and attitudes, and minimizing labels is more useful. A way I've attempted to communicate this is by showing how different moms are.

A random group of people were asked to draw a picture of today's mom in America.

Is Mommyblogging Still a Radical Act?

2008-08-05T12:49:00.001-04:00

If you are wondering what discussion sessions are like at BlogHer'08, Lindsay has solved it for you. She moderated and recorded the entire "Is Mommyblogging Still a Radical Act?" panel. Enjoy. I did as an attendee.